The head of Russian diplomacy told US bloggers Mario Nawfal, Larry Johnson, and Andrew Napolitano in an interview that NATO’s eastward expansion is acknowledged, even by US President Donald Trump, as one of the fundamental dangers for Moscow.

Then, the presence of the military alliance’s troops on Ukrainian soil under any flag, in any capacity, is the same threat, the foreign minister said.

Asked under what conditions Moscow could accept the presence of NATO troops as peacekeeping forces, the diplomat rejected this possibility. “Under any conditions. Nobody is talking to us. They keep saying nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine but they do everything about Russia without Russia,” Lavrov stressed.

He also recalled that when Trump was asked about peacekeepers, he said: Well, it is too early to discuss this, but normally you need the consent of the parties.

“Why should we consent to a peacekeeping force or some peacekeeping group? So, they want such a force to consist of countries that have declared us an enemy. Will they come there as peacemakers?” Lavrov questioned.

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed his fellow citizens on March 5, saying that Paris would organize a meeting of the chiefs of staff of some countries supporting Kiev to discuss the possible deployment of a European contingent.

A day earlier, Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, categorically rejected the initiative.

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